Such is the sordid combination of fats, sodium, nitrates and meat which make up the hot dog that it is rarely considered a delicacy. But my many travels have led me to experience this ignoble sausage in many shapes and forms. The mecca for this mysterious meat is none other than New York City. Here hot dogs are hawked at street corners ubiquitously and the advent of gourmet hot dogs have led to restaurants specifically designed for this oxymoron of the culinary arts. One famous chain in Coney Island, Nathan’s Famous, has millions of New Yorkers convinced that the best [View Full Entry]

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In mid-February of last year for want of anything better to do, I took up my roommate's invitation to go to a postcard writing workshop. As I was with my roommate, we arrived late (I'm not aware that he has ever actually been on time for anything in his life.) When we got there the class was in the midst of introducing themselves. I am not one to think that everyone who travels has to go off to far off exciting places, rather that traveling gives us a point of view which allows us to explore our world in a [View Full Entry]

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The joy of traveling comes from many elements, whether it be sampling new foods, sleeping in new surroundings, or exploring new places. Two of the major ones - alternate modes of transportation and meeting new people - are combined in one activity, that being hitchhiking. Despite a decent travel resume all of my hitchhiking experiences have occurred in Canada or the USA. When I travel I am on a tighter itinerary and throwing your travel fortunes upon the mercy of others would mean that my plans would be harder to follow, so I have hitchhiked closer to home, only in [View Full Entry]

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There comes a time in every adventurers experience when they have the opportunity to do something out of their range. For a cruise ship aficionado for instance, this might take the form of a jungle trek when at a port of call. For me, as a usual die-hard budget backpacker, this would mean simply breaking into a higher budget class. In December of 2005, as I read my books for Spain and Morocco I noticed that the tiny port of Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the north coast of Africa, offered a peculiar transportation option. Ceuta is particularly well serviced [View Full Entry]

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Travel destinations often have their genesis in very modest settings, and so it was that I was sitting with a friend on a public bus in Ottawa, talking about the San Diego Zoo, when I saw a sign for a special fare for bus tickets within North America. As my mind drew together two related threads I began to work the logistics of the possible journey. As every traveler knows the two most essential things for a journey are time and money. My summertime contract was about to run out, leaving me with both of these things in excess. But [View Full Entry]

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The foreign locales, exotic cultures and enticing cuisines which we encounter during our journeys are all experiences which make travel such a reward. Every now and then we come across something else which is a little different. While this can take many forms one of the most common is the chance to try new sports. And so during my journey to Peru as I sat conversing with some other travelers in my hostel in Pisco they set me on the idea to head to a nearby town to try some sandboarding. Sandboarding sort of goes without description, it is basically [View Full Entry]

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The nature of our acquaintance was not very profound, in fact so much so that I never even learned her name. And in so being, our relationship was not very different from hundreds of other hostellers that I had met in my travels. And the fact that I met her at the intercity bus station in Amsterdam in the early pre-dawn morning, although a strange meeting place, is neither particularly noteworthy. What was noteworthy though was in the short span of our meeting she led me to one of the strangest places that I have ever stayed. We had both [View Full Entry]

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The decision to go to Africa was one which came to me all of a sudden. In the early stages of our relationship, Aleks and I had agreed to a cruise in the Caribbean. As our relationship grew deeper and more meaningful we decided that marriage should follow and that this cruise would act as a sort of honeymoon for us. The cruise however was not the logistical simplicity that I had foreseen. While it would cost Aleks about fifteen hundred dollars to fly to the start point, it would cost me approximately the same as well, though I was [View Full Entry]

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My recently-proposed-to fiancee Aleks and I decided that we would take our first big trip together, and we chose one of my dream destinations - Victoria Falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe. Although the Falls were amazing we decided that with a full week at our disposal, that an overnight safari to Chobe National Park in Botswana would be equally amazing. A daytime boat ride introduced us to the park, where we saw hippos, elephants and all kinds of birds. Later in the day we toured around on land and saw lots of monkeys, giraffes and a chance encounter with a lion. But the [View Full Entry]

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My most vivid memory from this day was the young mother, with daughter in tow, who boarded the train in Bebra. I was riding the regional trains in southern Germany with my end goal being Trier on the Luxembourg border. But here were these two strangers traveling seemingly anywhere, and it occurred to me that my fellow travelers, riding that day on a fast train, would be missing this experience. I sat and watched out the window at the passing scenery, yet as often as I could I witnessed this microcosm of German family life. The little girl would talk, [View Full Entry]

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